Who's Roscoe Filburn? One author's thoughts on limiting the role of the federal government

Newport News author Douglas Lising has recently published, “Remember Roscoe Filburn. Amending the Constitution: The Only Sure Way to Limit the Federal Government.” Given that it’s an election year, this book seems of interest considering the ongoing political debate about government’s expanding role.

The 224-page book includes a chapter called, “The Case for Limited Federal Government,” and moves through to “The Mechanics of Proposing and Ratifying the 28th Amendment.”

Lising, a retired army Lt. Colonel and CEO of a computer services firm, shares his thoughts about the purpose of the federal government and how, over the years, it has reached beyond its original foundation.

The title of the book comes from a Supreme Court case in which a wheat farmer, Roscoe Filburn, was ordered to destroy his wheat crop because of government-related limitations.

In a chapter that focuses on the economy, Lising writes: “Survey after survey clearly confirms the opinion of a majority of economists that minimum wage laws have an overall negative impact on employment and a negative or no impact on poverty. They suggest there are much better ways to fight poverty and to protect employees. So again we see federal intrusion in the marketplace that not only fails to meet its goals of reducing poverty but negatively impacts the very citizens it proposes to help.”

In another section on education, Lising mentions the Achievable Dream program in Newport News, which helps economically disadvantaged children get from kindergarten to college. He calls the program “highly innovative,” and holds up the public-private partnership as a model.

Lising’s book has been touted by Steven Laib of “The Intellectual Conservative,” who called it a “serious work” and said it had “political importance.”

To learn more about the book, please go to Amazon.com where the book can be purchased for $10.